After finding my way to the great and extravagant Library made of pearly white stone sat near the center of the kingdom, I noticed not many people in the building. It was frankly beautiful—the dark wood desks, chairs, and tables, and the many bookshelves that decorated the dark wooden floor with the quartz white walls. Among the dark wooden shelves were hundreds of colorful books.
Seems perfect. If I study hard enough, I may gain enough INT stats from this to start feeling comfortable with spending my stat points. So, I began gathering books on Magic Theory. I even found some books about fighting styles and swordsmanship, and to not waste much time, I used the Time Difference Illusion Barrier.
After reading the books and contemplating some, I was prompted to learn the skills immediately. I wouldn't gain any INT from just learning the skill that way, so it was better to study the skill and learn it after just a small amount of a headache.
After flipping through Some book's on Magic Theory, I got new ideas for magic skills. While still in the illusion barrier, I experimented with one skill that I thought would be amazing. Expelling mana from my body, a great blue hue exploded outwardly, like a flare or a flame threatening to destroy everything around me, picking up wind and tousling my black hair and flapping my clothes, luckily under my armor. Then I saw cracks in the world around me as the instant barrier shook, about to shatter.
[You've Acquired Illusion Barrier Destruction]
[Illusion Barrier Destruction – Spreading all your mana out to your surroundings, the strength and amount of your mana can shatter Illusion Barriers and other similar effects.]
I concentrated greatly, calming my mana so that the barrier didn't shatter. I started condensing my mana greater and greater as its density gradually grew heavier and heavier, the light azure blue hue turning dark blue, almost on the edge of black. Then I gained the skill I wanted, but at the cost of most of my mana.
[Mana Disruption Boundary – In a 10-foot radius, a dense and strict amount of mana is spread out from the user, making it impossible for others to use magic without struggling. If the opponent has a higher mana capacity, they can overcome this skill. Cost: 500 MP.]
After that, I started absorbing the heavy dark blue mana, but as I did so, my body felt tough and heavy. My breathing became a little rapid, and I stumbled a bit, putting my hand on a desk to steady myself. I focused on absorbing the rest of the mana slowly and carefully. With that, the dark blue haze of mana disappeared, and to my shock, I gained another skill.
[Condensed Mana – An old skill reminiscent of old cultivation methods that allows the user to grow stronger by condensing mana internally, increasing the user's physical and magical attributes. This skill allows the user to condense their mana, making it strong and heavy, granting a 5% increase to Magic Damage and to STR, AGI, VIT, and a 10% increase in all mana-related skills. All effects increase by 5% every 10 levels.]
After using a great amount of mana, I couldn't really cast more spells, so I kept reading more books. Having decided to finish the book of Magic Theory, I gained a point in Intelligence and decided to read some other books to try and get more skills and INT.
After reading a book on swordsmanship and putting what it taught into practice, I gained some levels in Sword Mastery.
[+3 Sword Mastery has gained a level]
Not needing much sleep thanks to the Gamer's Body, I spent the next couple of days studying and putting what I learned into practice, trying to learn skills that would be very important for later.
Getting my mind together, I focused on creating a skill that made it seem I had no mana. This was a great stealth skill. Constricting my mana, making it bottle up and ensuring none leaked, I tried to maintain it, and I got the skill.
[Mana Suppression – When activating this skill, it constricts mana from leaving your body, making it seem as if you have no mana. Grants the user a 5% increase in avoiding lower-level mana-based detection skills.]
After seeing that skill, I was pretty happy, though I still had to level it up and get more skills to help with stealth. With that, I read more Magic Theory books and made sure to keep my mind open to create new skills, gaining two new skills.
[Blinding Light – Creating a bright light out of pure mana that flashes 3 times every second or as many times as the user wants, blinding any and all seeing the light, inducing blindness and vertigo for 1 minute. Cost: 25 Mana.]
[Star Fall – Creating various balls of mana high above in the sky to rain them down on multiple enemies, using the momentum and gravity. Increases damage, Damage Done: 280, and a 15% increase to piercing damage.]
After gaining these skills, I happened to find a book about Alchemy. After reading it through, I couldn't understand anything, so I just learned the skill, making the book disappear. I hoped they wouldn't miss it.
Anyway, I gained two skills from the book.
[Alchemy – This skill, passed down from the ages, breaks the realm of possibility with magical ingredients to create things otherwise unimaginable. When creating potions, pills, and poisons, grants a 10% increase in effectiveness on whatever is crafted.]
[Transmutation – Inserting mana into any physical object, changing the properties and characteristics. If the skill fails, the item will be destroyed. Grants a 5% chance to succeed in creating a higher quality item and a 10% greater chance to succeed.]
After the next couple of hours, I studied and practiced some more of my skills while making sure to look for books on Swordsmanship, Magic, and even History just to get to know the world for now.
I found a book on Martial Arts, and after practicing some of the movements, I got a skill for that as well.
[Basic Martial Arts – Martial arts recognized as one of the first and oldest ways of combat throughout the ages, fighting with muscle and grit, while also strategies have created fighting styles most effective in combat. 5% boost in unarmed combat and a 10% boost to STR, AGI, VIT.]
It's been a day, and I found out the library had an attendant of sorts. After asking, she pointed me to another section with some good magic books. I found a book about Magic and Elements. After reading it through, and instead of making the book disappear when I struggled, I made sure to practice even harder. After a couple of hard hours, I finally heard a notification.
[Through study and practice of Magic Formula, you've acquired multiple skills.]
[Water Magic – This skill gives the user the ability to manipulate and generate water at the cost of mana. The cost depends on the user. Water, a rigid and yet moldable force of nature, is at your whim.]
[Wind Magic – This skill gives the user the ability to manipulate and generate wind at the cost of mana. The cost depends on the user. Air, an invisible yet sharp and dangerous force of nature, is at your whim.]
[Fire Magic – This skill gives the user the ability to manipulate and generate fire at the cost of mana. The cost depends on the user. Fire, a destructive and chaotic force of nature, is at your whim.]
[Earth Magic – This skill gives the user the ability to manipulate and generate earth at the cost of mana. The cost depends on the user. Earth, a strong and tough force of nature, is at your whim.]
[You've gained the title Newbie Wizard.]
[Newbie Wizard – The user has studied and learned many magical skills and, with that, can be recognized as a Novice Wizard, granting the user a 25% boost to mana regeneration, magic damage, and an overall boost to total magic capacity by 10%.]
After learning these skills and gaining that title, I made sure to equip it. I was so exhilarated that my face glowed as I saw these notifications. I should visit one of the dungeons; maybe after another couple of days, I can go into one after becoming an adventurer.
And so, I spent the rest of my days studying and practicing my magic skills and trying to gain as many points in INT without spending any stat points.
Magic, a fine and mystic energy that, at its very core, is moldable, but that tempts the true question: What are the limits of magic? Can the very bounds of this world be molded? Can even the laws of this world be overcome? Could even time be overcome?
This was the passage I was reading in a Magic Theory book I had found covered in cobwebs over to the side of one of the forgotten bookshelves. And as the sunshine from the windows obscured the letters on the tainted paper due to the ages, making it a mundane tan...
I'm guessing it's about that time. But let's look at the past couple of notifications I accrued over these two weeks' worth of time in the Illusion Barrier.
+15 Intelligence Stats
+6 Levels in Sword Mastery
With that gain in my INT, I was pretty happy. I decided on something to do for later, but for now, I had to get going. They hadn't given me a time to show up for the examination, so let's just get this over with, I said with a wry smile.
After a couple of moments, when I finally made it into the Adventurer's Guild building, it was more packed than usual. I made my way up to the same counter with the same receptionist from last time. Before I could speak, she noticed me immediately.
"Oh, the hunter's examination is just starting; go join them; they're just outside in the training grounds..."
"Oh, alright, thank you." After saying that, I went through the door to the training grounds. But before I could even situate myself, a flash of light blinded me, as the sound of lightning flashed in my ears. I heard echoes of talk as swords clashed and hearing metal clash As my vision cleared, a spectacular scene came into view.
An older man with a sly silver beard, with black hair cascading over his eyes, was wearing a leather set of armor and boots with a faint shade of sunburnt black. He wielded a sword covered in a wispy mist as it clashed with another shiny silver blade.
On the opposing side was a young man with blond hair, dressed in a blue shirt and leather armor strapped to his shoulders with black pants.
A line of observers watched by the side. After making my way to the group of people watching, I noted many here—some looking like teams huddled up with others, and many solo, wielding various weapons.
The scene of the battle seemed to have already reached its end. The old man was at the side while the young man was in a breathing fit.
After that, the old man spoke to the young man, gathering the crowd's attention. "Great work, kid. I'll make sure your rank reflects that. Now, you're able to leave. Your adventurer's license will be done by the end of the day."
After the young man left, the old man looked over to the crowd, noticing me. "Alright everyone, just to reiterate, this is an irregular rank assessment due to you facing me and not a summoned beast. we have healing potions thanks to the Adventurer's Association's so don't worry about killing someone as long as your careful Thanks for your understanding."
"Alright, now, who wants next? Do we have any parties that have come for a combined reevaluation?" As he said that, a group of three people walked up toward him.
The leader, a person with a sword at his hip, wore a brown vest and a tan long-sleeve undershirt, with semi-stained brown-black pants and blond hair. His teammates included a young girl with a small knee-length staff and mage garb in whiteish-green similar to cyan, and another in full rough leather gear, almost like an assassin with daggers holstered at her hips and a bow strapped to her back.
As they walked forward, the crowd to the side talked and murmured among each other as the group made their introduction to the instructor. "Hello, Instructor. We're here for the rank reassessment. We're already D-Rank."
After saying that, they introduced themselves, and the fight began.
The old man immediately sprang into action, his sword a blur as it moved with practiced precision. The young mage girl stepped forward first, chanting quickly and casting a spell to create a protective barrier around her team. The barrier shimmered in a faint green glow as the old man's blade struck it with a resounding clang.
The assassin leapt into action, her movements swift and fluid. She darted around the battlefield, using the cover of the newly-formed Barrier to cover her movements. She fired a volley of arrows from her bow, each one aimed with deadly accuracy. The arrows struck the old man's armor with precision, forcing him to move swiftly to deflect them.
The leader of the group stepped in next, his sword flashing in the sunlight as he used a series of rapid slashes to force the old man into a defensive stance. The leader's strikes were powerful and precise, aimed to wear down the old man's defenses.
The old man, despite being pressed hard, kept his composure. He parried and blocked with skill, but it was clear he was being pushed back. The mage girl, seeing an opportunity, cast a spell to create a massive wall of fire between the old man and the group. The flames roared and crackled, adding an extra layer of challenge to the fight.
The old man grimaced as he was forced to dodge the fire wall. He used his sword to create a gust of wind, extinguishing the flames momentarily to regain visibility. But the brief respite was enough for the group to regroup and launch a coordinated attack.
The assassin emerged from the shadows, using her agility to strike from unexpected angles, while the mage continued to support with spells whizzed through the training ground's. The leader pressed the attack with renewed vigor, his sword moving in a relentless assault.
though With the old man's best efforts, the combined tactics of the group Fell Apart as he. With a final, powerful strike, Shattered the shield and hit the Mage in the stomach just before she could complete another Magic shield knocking the air out of her lung's causing her to fall to the ground coughing, then the man attacked again grabbing the the assassin by her shoulder's as she tried to push him back from the mage she ended up on the cold hard floor and with that the instructor said it was over after looking over at the Swordmen..
After the Swordsmen Saw the old man's actions he already knew with two teammate's out he was done for...
The crowd erupted into applause as the old man, panting lightly, looked at the group with a mix of respect and admiration. "Impressive," he said, his voice Coarse but sincere. "You've earned your rank reassessment. I'll make sure your new ranks are updated by the end of the day."
As the group of three left, the crowd quieted down Expecting another person to join in on the action and so I stepped up for the next fight..
After making my way up to the instructor I introduced my self " Hi Instructor, My name is Tanaka Namino Though please just call me Nami.." after saying this I looked above his head seeing his level and full name..
[ Kenzo Renagi Lv-46 ]
I'm Kenzo a C-Rank adventurer, now let's get started he said as he readied his weapon the cold steel blade shimmering in the Sun, Deciding to do the same I summoned a blade out of Mana an astonishing blue that left the crowd in a bit of an uproar and the Instructor with a slight smirk the sword a shimmering blue so, I decided to take the initiative jumping in for the attack...
slashing at his torso before He could even defend with his sword, yet in a flash he jumped back having a gust of wind swirl under his feet, As he did went on for the attack me defending with my Azura Blue blade as we both couldn't help to smile each other as out blades clashed and sparks flew....
I aimed for his for chest as his blade flew off to the side after my defense broke before he could parry I aimed to kick his leg out as my blade went towards the center of his chest and yet he moved quickly letting the Sword glide past his underarm as he tried Skewering me up close..
Clang..! the blade Clashes with a faint invisible barrier, as the old man jumped back, I was Exhilarated with this, it meant that it worked having used Wind Magic Making a shape uncanny compared to Mana shield making it as if using one skill's for the price of one...
After that though I focused back on him with him on his guard, I could see he was thinking up something so I came in with a quick blow trying to interrupt his thought's but after Slipping through my attack a faint Wisp of Wind Coiled around his armor and he exploded with speed as his footstep's sounded like Earthquakes on the stone floor and the wind whistled around him his movement's a slight blur...
Then a Sudden Clang of metal rang throughout the Training ground's as his sword slashed and slashed at the Semi transparent barrier around creating Mark's that seemed to disappear and reappear after every other second But his sword made it through the barrier Being able to slash me before the barrier could regenerate clanging against my Mana Skin..
I retaliated using Earth magic to make the earth almost like that of Sludge trying to slow his movement's and to keep him away from me after every slash he made it seemed he was waiting till I ran out of Mana, It would have worked a couple day's ago but not now I thought with a happy smile..
I Smirked a little, He's good and experienced but I'm Winning this.. and as the Training ground's started swallowing him and as the floor was up to his knee's he conceded with a wry smile.. " Alright You've Won..." After he said that I helped him out of the Mud like Floor and the floor turned back to solid stone.. Very Well done young man, Man If I was in my younger years we would had a great amount of fun you have a promising future son, He said with an endearing smile " Alright your Rank will represent what you've displayed in this spar now you may go your Adventurer's license will be ready by the end of the Day.." After hearing that I headed towards the door Ignoring the uproar from the crowd..
A couple Hour's Later..
"Alright Everyone who participated in the Rank Evaluation and Rank Reassessment You're Adventurer License have been finished and here they are" she said as she sat a stack on one of the Receptionist stall's... After walking up and looking through the pile I found it..
Name: [Tanaka Namino ] - Rank: D-Rank
Guild: [Free Guild, Adventure's Branch, Mage's Branch ]
Race: [Human] - Gender: [Male] - Age: [18]
Class: [Magic Swordsmen ]
Quest Completion: [0/0]
Certified by Guild Master: [Fuze]
Examination instructor - Veteran Adventurer [ Kenzo Renagi ]
After getting a good look at it I was happy now let's get stronger from now on Quest's and dungeons will be all I see for a while..